Family Should Always Come First
by Jedi Ani Unduli
Summary: Say thanks to FourthWallBreaker for dragging me into this fandom! Now I've completely lost my mind. Dipper was afraid that his Grunkle Ford would hate his guts when he found out that Dipper wasn't going to be his apprentice after all. But perhaps he was being a little too melodramatic. Be warned: lots of Pines' family fluff in this one! No shipping or incest.


_This came to me as I was watching the finale with FourthWallBreaker. No offense to Mabel, but the final moments completely focused on her rather than Dipper. Not fair! Plus, I also thought about the fact that Dipper would have to explain to his idol that he wasn't going to be his apprentice anymore. Leading to this wonderful piece of fluffiness and hugs and LOVE ahead!_

 _Disclaimer: No. Not. Mine. MAKE A THIRD SEASON ALREADY!_

Dipper paced in front of a door. Not just any door, either. It was _the_ door to all scientific knowledge and experiments and amazing craziness. Otherwise known as the door to his Grunkle Ford's room. The shack had finally been repaired, the grunkles finally liked each other, and tomorrow was the twins' birthday. Other than the inevitable and inescapable fact that tomorrow meant they were one day closer to going home and leaving their grunkles, everything was amazing and awesome, as Mabel would say. Never mind, erase back that sentence except for the first part. Everything was _not_ amazing and awesome.

Ever since they had won against Bill and got Grunkle Stan's memory back, the two original Pines' twins had spent the majority of the time fixing up the shack together, talking together, and watching home movies together (home movies Mabel and he secretly copied to watch as soon as they had time alone). They even tried to mount Bill's frozen rock-solid corporeal state inside the shack as a trophy. That hadn't gone so well. Even with Bill being gone, their unicorn hair shield was for some reason keeping his stony self outside the shack. They had tried shoving, they had tried squeezing, they had even tried sneaking it through the back basement entrance. No matter what, the shield wouldn't let the statue through. Instead, they had set it aside for later, maybe to make it into a sign or use it as a lawn ornament or something appropriately derogatory.

Anyway, back to the reason Dipper was standing out in front of Ford's room. He hadn't had a chance to pull aside his grunkle to explain why he was passing up the chanceofalifetimeoneinamillion opportunity to be his apprentice. Did he want to explain? No. The last thing he wanted was to see the disappointed look on his idol's face as he learned the real reason his chosen one was leaving him. But, the more he had thought about it, the more he became confident that his choice was the right one. Mabel needed him. He was her twin, her other _half_ , and he just couldn't up and abandon her when she needed him the most. They'd been through life and death together to save their grunkles – and Gravity Falls – and he'd be darned if he left her now just before school started. Which, oddly now, didn't seem as terrifying as Bill and his crazy murderous gang and the end of the world.

It _was_ more terrifying to try and explain it to Ford, however. And the more he paced, the more he panicked. More and more situations floated inside his mind, potential alternating scenarios all ending with Ford disavowing him and he never being able to come back for another – any – summer.

There's a funny thing about panicking; it causes you to lose track of time pretty fast. And the more pacing you do while panicking tends to lead to hyperventilation. Hyperventilation – well, even Mabel knew what _that_ leads to. Soon, there was a little Dipper-sized lump passed out and sleeping fitfully in front of Grunkle Ford's doorway. He had chosen to wait outside the door after he had finished supper, so between his panic-stricken mode and his full stomach, he would have been out for a while. Well, he would have if a certain shadowy figure hadn't chose that moment to pause in front of the doorway to open it. In that pause, a chuckle escaped at the sight before him. Good thing _both_ hands were under his head. At least if anyone else had passed him by, Dipper's dignity would still be intact. Turning the knob of the door handle, he simultaneously attempted to pick up the sleeping child when –

"AH!" Used to danger all too well by now, Dipper was _awaking_ panicked. The panic from before was magnified by the fear he felt at being grabbed at. To top it off, this guy was trying to sneak into Ford's room. _Never_. He'd _never_ lose another grunkle again. He kicked and struggled to get out of the stranger's _danger_ grasp. It stumbled into the now open room and grunted deeply, a familiar sound.

"Dipper! Dipper, it's me, Ford!" He paused in his struggle as the light suddenly came on, and he looked upwards.

"Ford? Ford!" His kicks and struggles quickly turned into a death hug of the person holding him.

"Whoa, whoa!" Ford laughed deeply as he hugged the little guy back something fierce. He swayed back and forth as he tried to maintain his current state. Before he had turned on the light, keeping the little guy from doing any permanent damage had had Dipper face-planted into his stomach and, to keep his balance, his right foot immediately extended out behind him. He had done various martial arts in his travels, all of which fortunately were coming in handy even now. Especially the exercises focused around balance.

"Dipper, I need to regain my balance before we both go sprawling on this carpet, and from what I've been told we wouldn't want that to happen to us now would we?"

"N-no!" Dipper quickly released his hold on his great uncle Ford and scampered over to the couch, currently Ford's bed. He watched as his great uncle regained his balance and set his bag down on the low table across the room. His nervousness at why he had come here started his legs swinging quickly. He bowed his head as well, too _shamed_ by what he had to tell his uncle to even look at him. He knew he'd hate him, just as he had hated Grunkle Stan. If twins ran in the family, grudges probably did too. It would last for years too, probably the _exact_ same number. Would Ford even be _alive_ after 40-some years?

"Dipper," his head jerked up at the sound of his name. Ford was standing right in front of him. While he had been stewing the door of the room had been shut and the lights turned down low. "I know that dinner was good, but not good enough to make you fall asleep on the carpet. Normally Mabel and you have all sorts of boundless energy. So boundless sometimes I worry about what Stan's been including in your food. What's on your mind?" Dipper took a deep breath as he wondered how to put this. Sometimes there was no better way than to just everything off his chest.

"IknowIsaidIwouldbeyourapprenticeandIpromisedyouandeverythingandIreallyreallywantedtobutIalsopromisedMabelthatIwouldbethereforherforeverandkeephersafeandbeawkwardteenstogetherbecausethat'showIhadtosaveherandusfromherprisonandwellIreconsideredandI'mgoingbackhomewithMabelandwe'regoingtoschooltogetherandeverythingbutI'msorryIbrokemypromisetoyouandIreallyreallyreallyREALLYhopeyoudon'thateme!" He suddenly realized a desperate need for air once he had finished speaking and started gasping desperately. Once his breathing was controlled, he realized his great uncle was sitting across from him on the couch. The moon, being full, spilled out over the two of them, casting dim shadows in the dimly lit room. His uncle's face looked grave. Dipper looked down in sadness. He _was_ going to be hated after all. He heard a sigh and braced himself for the bad news. Suddenly, a hand dipped directly into his vision, gently grasped his chin, and brought his gaze up to meet his great uncle's. The warmth and love and _respect_ in his great uncle's face completely shocked him. _Respect_? What had he done to earn _that_?

"Dipper, I could never hate you, especially not for your decision."

" _Really_?" He couldn't help but ask.

"Really. It makes me wish I could have been as brave as you in choosing my twin over a potentially lucrative career. Choosing your twin over your _dream_." A wistful look came over his face, and Dipper got the sense he was thinking back to when he and Stan were younger. Back to better times, better days. Before all that college business, and a sudden desire to follow parental wishes. "Maybe if I hadn't decided that my parents were worth more listening to than my twin brother, this nasty business with Bill wouldn't have happened. Heck, maybe if we had gone off together in our boat, we would have done more good than merely cleaning up after my mess."

"B-b-but," Dipper sputtered. "B-but you still discovered so many great things! The secret to Gravity Falls' weirdness! All that crazy technology you made. Making the Journals! You're probably going to be remembered for _generations_! _All_ the kids will be taught about you! ALL the _scientists_ will respect you!" Ford sighed. He released his gentle grip on Dipper's chin to replicate the same grip on Dipper's shoulder.

"Look, Dipper, I'm not going to lie and say I don't appreciate those awards and all that recognition. It is rather nice to be able to have the name Pines remembered _other_ than in infamy." They both laughed, thinking of Stan and his "misadventures". "However, when you're old and gray and looking back on life, you'll realize that it's not the progress that makes you great; it's the _people_. In a way, I envy normal people. They're content to live their lives, have children, shape them, continue their line, and see the greatest thing before them: their offspring. Whether or not they're like them, regardless of whether or not they bring fame or fortune, their families love and cherish them for _who_ they are to the people around them. To be someone that great and loved and _cherished_ by someone who you're close to in your own family is far better than to be remembered by millions. Mabel and you still see that in each other. Stan and I once did as well. Hopefully you both will continue to value that in each other, compared to us older twins. If Stan agrees to what I have to tell him, I might be able to get _all_ my family back. If not…" he trailed off, looking sadder and more regretful than he had trapped in Bill's pyramid.

"You still have us, though!" Dipper blurted out. "You got me, Mabel, Soos, not to mention our other family. Even if Stan said no, we'd work to change his mind. We've," he swallowed hard, wrapping both arms around himself as he glanced away for a moment, "we've been through too much together to _not_ be together. We need you, Great Uncle Ford. _I_ need you. I still want to come back here to see you and Stan, and learn from you and follow you around. You know so much and have seen so much. And I… I still feel bad for going back on my promise to you to be your apprentice. After all, I still want to learn from you and help you with your studies." He looked back at Grunkle Ford, hoping his face conveyed all that was still stuck inside him. A yelp escaped him as one very old and very well traveled great uncle embraced him. Another deep laugh enveloped him in a comforting blanket.

"I know you do, Dipper. And don't worry, I think I can manage Stan and I being back here next summer for you kids." The hug turned into an arm draped around his shoulders as Ford looked at him intently. "But don't _ever_ think I'm going to take your refusal to stay here personally. After all, I still have plans for you to follow after me and learn from me when you come back here next summer. I already know Stan will appreciate having your twin sister follow him around and watch unlimited television with him. They'll probably show that crazy, nonsensical _Duck Detective_ again. Heaven help my sanity." That last part sounded mumbled. Dipper figured it was probably better to pretend he never heard that. "Above all else, Dipper, you want to stick to your twin, and I understand that. After seeing what I helped do to my twin through my arrogance, I _want_ you two twins to stay together. You both staying together, maybe, well…" Grunkle Ford rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, but Dipper understood. To his two grunkles, seeing Mabel and him choosing each other no matter and coming back to each other was probably a comfort. If they could still choose each other, couldn't Stan and Ford?

"It's okay, Ford. I get it." Dipper leaned in again to hug his great uncle tighter. "And, like you said, I can still follow after you and learn from you, right?"

"Absolutely, my boy!" Pride was evident in the older man's voice. "In fact, every summer you come up I'll teach you so many things that you will stump every college test and amaze every college recruiter. You'll amaze your teachers and humble your peers. _You'll_ be amazing, my boy!" Dipper's face flushed, and he mumbled _aslongasIcanlearnfromyou_ as soft as he could. He wanted to still have _some_ dignity in front of his hero.

A flash caught his eye, and he quickly looked up. It briefly lit up the above window before vanishing. He scrambled upwards, accidentally treading on his grunkle in the process (oops, dignity), to exclaim: "Wow!" He turned to look back at Ford. "Was _that_ a shooting star?"

His grunkle's face was lit by the next one. "Not just _one_ shooting star, Dipper. It's a _multitude_ of them." His words were punctuated by a whole host of white flashes. Dipper returned his attention back outside the window. This was so cool! "This is a full-on _celebration_ of the stars. In my interdimensional travels, the more I learned about Bill, the more I knew I had to get back and destroy him. If I could manage it, I was told everyone would be so relieved, even the _stars_ would rejoice. This is probably it. Considering how huge each of the stars' family trees is, I'm more surprised that the sky isn't completely white right now."

"Wow!" What else could he say to such an amazing sight? Grunkle Ford sat back down on the couch and leaned back. Dipper was slightly shocked.

"Grunkle Ford, you're not going to watch this with me?" The older man shook his head.

"Kid, this has been happening so many times during the past few nights that I've just been videorecording and cataloguing it all. I'll sort it out later. Right now, I just need to sit back and relax." Dipper looked out again at the amazing display before him. He looked back at Ford.

"Can – can I stay here and watch it with you? _Please_?" he begged.

"Dipper, there's nothing better I'd like to do with you." Fearing his smile was breaking his face in front of his idol (how _embarrassing_ ), he turned back to watch the spectacle in front of him. His head felt heavy, so he rested it on the back of the couch as he continued to watch. Before he knew it, a yawn escaped out of his mouth and were his eyelids _really_ that heavy? He felt his body begin to sink in his tiredness, but he was so comfortable where he was; did he _really_ have to move?

"Oh no, you don't." Strong hands took hold of him, and soon he was back up against the solid warm _safe_ mass of his Grunkle Ford. Among the last things he heard was a warm chuckle escaping and, "don't worry, I've got you, son." _Son_. His idol _really_ thought that highly of him?

"' love you too, Grun'le Ford," he mumbled before completely succumbing to the tiredness tugging on him.

They were found that way in the morning by Mabel (didn't she know that Ford's room was _never_ to be disturbed?) and Grunkle Stan. Apparently Ford had been clinging to him as much as he had been clinging to his great uncle – now forever memorialized in a picture taken and hidden by Mabel, probably for blackmail later on.

"Woohoo!" Mabel yelled as she punched the air. "I can't _believe_ I didn't think of this earlier! What a _great_ way to get in more bonding time with our grunkles! Oh Grunkle Stan…" she trailed off, looking up at the other older uncle pleadingly.

"Oh no," Stan said, crossing his arms and looking sternly down at her. "Kid, don't you dare say what I think you're –"

"Grunkle Stan, tonight I'm _sleeping_ with you!" Mabel said, sidling up to him and completely capturing any resistance to her spoken demand with her huge puppy dog eyes. Stan sighed and looked away.

"Fine." She squealed so loud; Dipper and Ford simultaneously winced and covered their ears. "Just, don't tell Soos, or _anyone_. Last thing I need is more fanfic writers taking and spinning this _completely_ out of proportion!"

Fortunately for Soos, the sunlight wasn't giving away his position outside the basement window.


End file.
